Their Story
by Conflate
Summary: The first time Kise cries – fully breaks down with tears streaming down his cheeks and soundless sobs catching in his throat – is after Kaijou's match against Touou... The last time Kise cries is the last time he dares shed another tear over Aomine. [AoKise Week Day 1: Firsts/Lasts]


The first time Kise cries – fully breaks down with tears streaming down his cheeks and soundless sobs catching in his throat – is after Kaijou's match against Touou. He's sitting on the ground, fists balled and unable to stand. There's a sharp pain shooting through his leg that's telling him 'you pushed yourself too hard, Ryouta' and 'you'll never be good enough to stand on equal ground with him.' His heart and chest ache, and he's positive that if it weren't for Kasamatsu picking him up and fully supporting him, in both an emotional and physical sense, he would have crumbled in on himself right then and there. He can't find it in him to look across towards Aomine who is equally pained, but doing a far better job at masking his emotions than Kise. Instead, the blond walks off his injury as if it were nothing but fatigue; tears streaks dry on his cheeks and his eyes are bloodshot as he carries himself towards the locker room where he gathers his belongings and heads out with his team. It's no time to cry, he figures. They gave it their all, and in the end they just weren't prepared enough to take on the ace of the opposing school.

* * *

The first time Kise and Aomine hold hands is well after their first match. Months have passed, and the Winter Cup is over. Both player's teams had fallen victim to Seirin, and found comfort in each other. What starts as a rebudding of their mislaid friendship, performs a complete one eighty and morphs into something much more. They start off texting, hanging out, and acting how normal teenage boys would. They spend hours wandering around the arcade, making small talk in Maji Burger, and enjoying popsicles in front of the convenience store once they are too tired to do anything else. Kise is the first to realize that there is something more than "just friends" developing between them. Every time Kise lays his eyes on Aomine… Every time he catches a glimpse of that rare, yet beautiful smile, he'll feel his heart flutter and a warm blush spread across his cheeks and up his ears. Aomine catches on a few days later when he notices the way Kise will stare at him when he thinks Aomine isn't looking. But he is – he always has his eyes on Kise, whether it be from a distance, admiring his undeniable beauty; or from his peripheral, unable to take his eyes off the blond even at such a close proximity.

Their outings slowly morph into 'dates' when Aomine begins proposing he take Kise out to dinner and pay the bill himself. Though Kise says he can pay his half, he quickly backs down when he notices the way Aomine's cheeks are suddenly dusted with red and his brows are pinched as he _insists_ he pay. Kise swears his heart is going to burst from his chest, because _oh God, Aominecchi looks so cute like that_, how can he say no? So, they begin dating after that, and it takes them an entire month to finally hold hands as they walk through the park in the middle of the night counting the stars (or at least Kise is, Aomine's too busy eying the blond's smile, squeezing his hand tighter in his own).

* * *

The first time they kiss is a few weeks into June. It's Kise's birthday, and the blond takes the time to travel to Tokyo in order to spend the day with Aomine. Having told his friends at home that 'no, he can't celebrate with them, because he already has plans' and already dealing with the disappointment of his family, he works on the disappointment of his own, finding it unbelievable that _he_ was the one that had to go out of _his_ way to celebrate _his_ birthday with _his_ boyfriend. The second he steps off the train though, any ill feelings he's harboring quickly evaporate, because there's Aomine, standing with his ears burning and a small bouquet of flowers in his hand. Kise's beaming in under a second as he practically skips over and receives what he expects to be his birthday present – considering it's Aomine, flowers are more than enough. What he's met with is a chaste kiss to the corner of his lips, and he's only slightly peeved that it doesn't last longer. Afterwards, Aomine nods his head in the direction of the exit and leads Kise off; from behind, Kise can see the way Aomine's ears are flushed red, and he can't help but bite his lower lip to stifle a threatening giggle.

The day was perfect – they went out to eat, went shopping, saw a movie… It was anything and everything Aomine knew Kise would enjoy, and he did. It's well past eight o'clock when Aomine declares that he'll walk Kise back to the station, partly because he's the one holding all of the blond's bags. There's only a few people scattered about waiting for the arriving train, and Aomine sits with Kise as they wait for it to arrive as well. They make small talk, and Kise asks why Aomine was so insistent on walking him back. He'd have to lean in to fully hear what the other has said, but he swears it was something along the lines of 'that's what boyfriends do…' His heart is swelling again as the train finally pulls in, and just as Kise is about to stand, Aomine stops him. The blond whines that if he doesn't get going right now, he'll miss his ride; or at least he tries to, because the second he turns and makes to open his mouth, Aomine's lips are on his, silencing him completely.

The kiss is short and fleeting, and leaves Kise's lips tingling (he's actually resisting the urge to reach up and touch them like they do in the movies). Instead, a small smile spreads across his lips as he gathers his bags once more. As he boards the train and waves his goodbye, the kiss replays itself in his head at least a hundred times along with the 'Happy Birthday, Kise' that followed.

* * *

The last time they kiss is years later. They're both fresh out of university, having graduated from separate schools. They hadn't seen much of each other besides their late night Skype calls when their respective roommates were both conveniently gone. They did keep in touch via text, though it wasn't the same. Currently, they're sharing the same apartment, curling into one another like lovesick puppies that have been neglected for months. They're making up for missed time, and truthfully, Kise wouldn't have it any other way. He's content and warm, elated and – oh, _why is Aominecchi looking at me like that? Why does he look so upset? What's going on?_ Their peaceful little moment takes a turn for the worst as Aomine runs his fingers up and down Kise's arm, saying he needs to tell him something. Despite his nerves, Kise willing opens his ears and nods in response, awaiting the other's words.

Aomine Daiki is going off to war, and Kise's heart drops so fast he's surprised it didn't fall out of him completely. Unable to find the courage to ask when he's leaving through his shock, Kise's met with an answer though he almost misses it with the way his ears are ringing and he's staring at the wall. The blond is positive his world comes to a halt, and he's only brought back when Aomine begins to gently shake his shoulder. Everything feels so surreal; Kise feels as if he's floating on a cloud, but not just any cloud. He's sitting on the darkest, angriest storm cloud, and he's waiting to fall right through and fall back down to Earth. Aomine's leaving in approximately two weeks, and he needs to get his head out of his ass long enough to make the rest of their time together memorable because who knows how long he'll be gone for.

They kiss for the last time on the same bench where they shared their first, only this time there's tears streaming down Kise's face and he's choking back sobs he doesn't want anyone to hear. Aomine's parents are just around the corner, having silently declared they'd give the two some time after already having said their goodbyes.

* * *

The last time they hold hands, it isn't Aomine's hand that Kise's holding, but the hand of his mother. He's holding onto the poor woman's hand like it's the only thing keeping him grounded, that if he were to let go, or even marginally loosen his grip, he'd blast right off and never return. Either that, or he'd sink into the ground, whichever would be quicker. Everyone surrounding them is dressed in black, but Kise's eyes are trained on the male before him in the casket. Aomine's never looked so handsome, so _peaceful_, Kise thinks as he smiles through his tears. The revelation, however, causes the tears to grow larger and fall more quickly, and before he knows it, his shoulders are shaking and he's struggling to keep himself in one piece. The hand he's holding squeezes around his own, and as he glances over, he notices how Aomine's parents are holding themselves together far better than he is, despite that being their son in the casket, and in that moment he realizes where Aomine got his strength from. Taking a deep breath, Kise composes himself and manages to get through the remainder of the service with only a few tears shedding.

* * *

The last time Kise cries is the last time he dares shed another tear over Aomine. He's kneeling in front of the Aomine family grave, gripping a box of small trinkets that remind him of the other – there's a dried flower from the bouquet he was given on his birthday; there's a blue earring he purchased because 'it reminded him of Aomine's hair'; there's a photo of the two of them from Teikou, their arms wrapped around each other as they're beaming at the camera; there's various other things that Aomine would have found nonsensical, but Kise found meaning in anyway.

The most important thing, that Kise tucked away at the very bottom beneath a magazine clipping of Aomine's first high school appearance, is a promise ring Kise was given the day before Aomine left – it symbolized Aomine not only promising that they'd last and continue on their lives together, but also that he'd return to Kise. A soft chuckle brushes past Kise's lips as he thinks that _yeah, you returned alright, just not how I wanted_. As he kneels there, slowly sifting through the objects in the box, he smiles as tears drip down his nose and he laughs at the memories each of the items bestows upon him. He tells Aomine how proud he is of him, how he couldn't have asked for a shittier, annoying, yet heroic boyfriend. He tells him about how much he loves him, how he'll always have a place in his heart, but that he's going to move on. He's going to be strong for both of them, and that he's not going to dwell on this. With one last look as he stands, Kise swears a cold gust of wind surrounds him as he moves to step away. Tears well in his eyes once more as the familiar sense of Aomine's arms wrapped tight around him comes to mind.

This is the last time Kise Ryouta cries over Aomine Daiki.


End file.
